


Before The Beginning Of The End

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Galrentines 2018, Lunch, Lunchbreak, brief angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 08:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: It's the early days of spring on their part of Daibazaal, and Zarkon and Honerva enjoy a lunch break together.





	Before The Beginning Of The End

He waited until Honerva grew aware of his presence by the doorway before saying anything. 

“Lunch?” Zarkon said with a tone he hoped would get her more interested than the screen before her and the vast glass tube on her right. In any case, whatever was floating in that vast glass container could not have been any more appealing than the surprise he had brought her. 

“Smells a little spicy,” Honerva eventually said, eyes still on the screen and fingers flying away at the keyboard. Over time her voice had gone robotic. Zarkon loved her passion for her work; found it inspiring to witness, enthralling, but also a bit alarming in how it much it had changed her from the day they had first met. Though he supposed the potential was always there. A woman as vastly intelligent such as herself, Honerva’s mind was constantly on alert, her neurons firing away with questions, hypotheses, and experiment ways in which she could dig into the secrets of the universe. 

The fact that his lunch piqued her interest just enough was a good sign.

“Only your very favorite,” Zarkon said as he got closer and presented her with the bag. The bag landed in her hands just in time as she held them out to grab them. One whiff of the aroma and all thought of quintessence research fled her mind. 

At least for the time being.

*

“What is the occasion of eating out here?” Honerva asked as they stepped out onto the roof. It was by no means the highest story, and from where they sat they could still enjoy the company of a nearby tall tree.

“First warm day of the season,” Zarkon said. “Calls for a bit of celebrating.” 

Honerva gave a curt nod and studied the branches of the tree. 

“The trees are still budding,” she mused aloud. “Hardly spring yet.” 

“But all the same a good excuse to spend an hour with one’s love,” Zarkon said. 

The corners of Honerva’s lips quirked into a smile as she rummaged through the bag and produced a sandwich wrap, small round salted crackers, a cup of freshly diced fruit that were in season, and a jar of…

“Juniberry jam,” she said, suddenly delighted. “Did Alfor export this to you?” 

“Only the finest quality. Alfor and Fala send their all love to you.”

“They can keep their love to themselves and keep sending me the jam.” 

He froze for one second before realizing that Honerva had made a joke; then he roared with laughter. 

“So that’s what it takes?” Zarkon said fondly while Honerva unscrewed the top. He watched her scoop a spoonful onto a cracker to sample. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. 

“Well?” 

“It appears I will not be returning to work anytime soon,” Honerva eventually replied as she made for the sandwich. She settled back to eat. 

Glad he had finally convinced her to dine, Zarkon set out his portion. They ate in silence, occasionally admiring the early spring or asking one another of the happenings of their day. Zarkon’s life had been dull: full of political meetings with his cabinet, deciding on proposed legislations that fell on his desk. More discussions that droned on and grew dull with each minute. Peace times had its setbacks, he lightly joked, that the matters which they now quarreled over were trivial and minute. 

Honerva’s own day was far less eventful physically; she remained in the exact same spot all morning, yet she spoke animatedly about her day as if she had sailed through the cosmos. And the way her golden eyes lit up with fire and her voice filled with passion, it was difficult not to think she hadn’t sailed across the universe. And the information she was uncovering was valuable, very valuable, that Zarkon could feel his own chest warm up with the thought of Daibazaal flourishing in riches unseen by any planet. They will never have need for anything again; Zarkon himself would seldom have use for such meetings. 

Honerva was in the middle of going over her next set of hypotheses she was excited to test for the next few sessions when her face scrunched up in sudden pain. 

“What’s wrong, love?” Zarkon asked and leaned forward. Honerva’s hand shot to her mouth, but she was unable to speak. He glanced down at her sandwich wrap and noticed a piece of crustacean shell had not been properly removed. 

Taking a guess at the source of the problem, he ordered for her to open her mouth and he peaked at her gums. She would have had trouble taking the piece of shell off herself from how it had gotten lodged, but his fingers were clawed and he was gentle. 

“I will have to speak with the chefs later,” Zarkon said as Honerva later wiped her mouth on a napkin. 

“Please, it’s only a shell,” she said and smiled. 

But it wasn’t just only a shell, Zarkon later mused as Honerva snuggled in his arms. It was now evening, the day had adjourned, and the two had found themselves with the much-needed quiet time they earned. 

The incident was minor in Honerva’s eyes, shrugging it off as a minor misstep in an otherwise lovely lunch with her husband, but she hadn’t seen herself, the way pain flashed through her features. Zarkon would give everything to never seen that pain cross her face again. 

Daibazaal’s star’s decent down the horizon thinned into a red line, barely visible as it peeked past jutting mountains. 

Zarkon kissed the top of Honerva’s head and wrapped his arms about her tighter. She gave a little chuckle, thick in her voice with the oncoming wave of sleep, and placed her head on his chest. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as his entire form curled about her protectively. As their moon rose, full and silverly bright, he glanced up to it. From a distance beyond the moon stood visible another planet, glowing red. Something stirred in his chest, and he made a silent vow. 

He would shake the very foundations of the universe if it meant never seeing Honerva in pain ever again.


End file.
